Need money for college?

The National Center for Policy Analysis and Debate Central are happy to announce the 2015-2016 Young Patriots Essay Contest, Sponsored by Copart. Entrants have the opportunity to showcase their writing skills and compete for $9,000 in scholarship money.

The Young Patriots Essay Contest is designed to challenge middle and high school students to creatively engage with public policy and current events through the art of writing. We assign a controversial topic each year, and THREE winners are chosen to receive a scholarship out of hundreds of essay submissions. Find the topic and entry instructions below!

Last year’s first place contest winner receiving his scholarship award.

The topic for the 2015-2016 scholarship essay contest is:

“Should the emerging and ongoing threat of global terrorism change how we view government surveillance as it relates to the 4th Amendment? Why or Why Not?”

Contest participants have the opportunity to:

Earn a college scholarship of up to $5,000.

Have your essay published on Debate Central.

See your essay posted on the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) home page.

Have your essay shared with 350,000 NCPA Policy Patriots via email.

Have your winning entry be sent to your hometown newspapers, radio and TV.

Please read the following pieces as you consider the above topic:

The first two are required. The third is optional, but strongly recommended. Your submission will be graded in part according to how carefully and thoughtfully you engage with these challenging articles. They are:

You may incorporate outside research into your writing. Although this is not required, it may improve the overall quality of your essay. Make sure to include a bibliography citing any outside sources you choose to reference. Your bibliography does not count against your word total.

Entries will be judged on the quality of their writing (style and mechanics), their level of engagement with the topic, and the strength of their reasoning. Essays that make an argument and support it well will out-perform essays that only provide a neutral overview of both sides. Judges will not consider their personal feelings on the topic when evaluating the essays.

How to Enter:

Please submit your essay using the form below.

Your essay should be written in English and should not exceed 1,200 words.

Your bibliography does NOT count towards your word total.

All essays must be submitted by Tuesday, January 5 2016 at 11:00pm CT. No late submissions will be accepted.

See the FAQ below for questions regarding the entry process. If your question is not covered, please leave it in the comment section.

***Entries for the 2015-2016 Contest are no longer being accepted at this time. Please check back for the launch of the 2016-2017 contest this summer!***

Young Patriots Submission Guidelines

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. How should I format my entry?

A. Essays should be written in English, and should not exceed 1,200 words (excluding the bibliography). Essays exceeding this length will not be considered. Submit using the form on this page.

Q. What happens if I exceed the word limit?

Q. Who is eligible to enter?

A. Any American citizen or lawful resident who is currently a student in grades 6-12, or recent high school graduates who have never enrolled as a degree-seeking student in any college or university.

If you have enrolled in a college course for dual credit during high school, you are still eligible.

One other caveat: if you have ever won first place in a previous year’s Young Patriots Essay Contest, you are not eligible to win again.

Q. Are homeschool students eligible?

A. Yes!

Q. Are international students eligible?

A. Only if they meet certain conditions. American citizens residing abroad are eligible. Non-citizen legal residents are also eligible. International students who do not meet these criteria are not eligible.

Q. How can I spend the scholarship money?

A. For tuition or related expenses at a college or university of your choice. You are NOT allowed to spend the money on non-educational expenses.

Q. Can I choose to remain anonymous?

A. No. We must be able to publish both your essay and name.

Q. How should I format citations?

A. If you only reference the required/recommended readings, no bibliography/”Works Cited” section is necessary.

If you use outside research, citations should be listed in a bibliography section at the end of the document. You may use any recognized citation style (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago).

The bibliography will not be included in your overall word count.

Q. Is there anything else you can tell me about how to stand out from the crowd?

A. Yes. Here are a few suggestions for participants:

Stick to the subject and topic. Displaying a strong writing style is essential, but the substance of your essay is the most important part. If you write a fantastic essay that doesn’t address the central question, you won’t win.

Submit a professional document. Double check grammar and spelling and try to make rambling sentences more concise.

Follow and demonstrate a clear vision. This contest leaves lots of room to address the subject in a variety of ways. Students should attempt to be creative, clear and persuasive in their approach to the topic.

Include your perspective on the works. Show us that you have read and considered the material. Do not simply summarize the readings but rather explain how they influence your thinking on the issue.

Q. Do I need to agree with the recommended readings’ authors?

The short answer: No. The longer answer: No, but you should warrant your disagreement with outside sources and research. Make sure your argument is complete, articulate and supported. Avoid ad hominem attacks that indict the author without properly considering the merit of the argument.

You should also note that there is one required reading supporting both “sides” of the topic.

Q. Is there just one prize?

A. No. First, second and third prizes will be awarded in the amounts of $5,000, $2,500, and $1,500 respectively.

PRIVACY: This scholarship is provided by the National Center for Policy Analysis, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public policy organization. Funding comes from private donors. Any personal information collected from non-winning entries is used only in aggregate to gauge participation statistics, and will never be otherwise distributed. Contest winners must agree to have their name, school, grade level, hometown, and essay made public for site usage, NCPA newsletter, etc. Beyond the initial confirmation message, contest entry will not result in any further communication or solicitation from Debate Central, the NCPA, or contest donors. We will never sell or otherwise distribute your personal information to third parties.

Any questions? Leave them in the comments. We’ll get back to you right away.

If I choose to do my paper in MLA style in a separate document then copy and paste the document into the “essay box” above will the judges see the MLA format or will everything be viewed differently? Also, is a type of writing format required or optional, such as MLA, or should I “just write my speech”? Thanks you for your help.

Yes, you may reference them in order to demonstrate your familiarity/understanding. However, you actually aren’t required to cite the readings in your essay, if they don’t fit your argument. The judges will know whether you completed the readings based on your mastery of the subject, either way.

Hi I am interested in applying for this scholarship and have a few questions.
1. Am I allowed to use quotes from the articles and other resources?
2. Is this a persuasive essay or just argumentative?
3. What is the average amount of people who apply for this scholarship and what are my chances of winning?
Sorry for the lengthy comment. Thanks for the help!

1. Yes, you may quote/reference the articles as well as outside research. Be sure to including a bibliography– any recognized format (MLA, APA, etc) is fine. Your bibliography does NOT count towards your word total.

2.You may write the essay however you like, but the best essays take a stance– not just summarize both sides of the debate.

3. There are usually ~300 entries. Your chances of winning depend on the quality of your essay!

It is only necessary to submit one essay, arguing one side or the other. If you would like to submit multiple essays, there is no rule against that, but it is certainly not required. I hope that helps!

[…] Young Patriots Essay Contest Sponsor: National Center for Policy Analysis and Copart Amount: Up to $5,000 Deadline: Jan. 5, 2016 Description: Scholarship is open to any American citizen or lawful resident who is currently a student in grades 6-12, or is a recent high school graduate who has never enrolled as a degree-seeking student in any college or university. Applicant must submit an essay on a given prompt on given prompts related to NSA surveillance. […]

Ideally, your essay should refer to the source of your information (“According to Rachel Stevens…”), but formal footnotes or parenthetical citations aren’t necessary. I hope that answers your question– let me know if you need further clarification.

Some popup blockers, etc. will prevent you from seeing the confirmation. If this is the case, please feel free to email young [dot] patriots [at] ncpa.org, and I’d be happy to double-check for you that your entry was received.

Yes, you may use the scholarship to fund educational expenses at any college or university of your choice, including abroad. The only requirement is that you be a current citizen or legal resident of the United States. I hope that helps!

No, sports participation would not be considered an educational expense. However, a student could use the funds to pay for, for example, textbooks or other supplies. In turn, that could free up your own money to put towards sports or other extracurriculars. I hope that helps!

[…] Young Patriots Essay Contest Sponsor: National Center for Policy Analysis and Copart Amount: Up to $5,000 Deadline: Jan. 5, 2016 Description: Scholarship is open to any American citizen or lawful resident who is currently a student in grades 6-12, or is a recent high school graduate who has never enrolled as a degree-seeking student in any college or university. Applicant must submit an essay on a given prompt on given prompts related to NSA surveillance. […]

I have two questions.
Can I type my essay on google drive and copy and paste it into the submission box?
When I tried to submit my essay, it led me to a page that said that the server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later. I tried to submit three times, but it said the same thing.

[…] Young Patriots Essay Contest Sponsor: National Center for Policy Analysis and Copart Amount: Up to $5,000 Deadline: Jan. 5, 2016 Description: Scholarship is open to any American citizen or lawful resident who is currently a student in grades 6-12, or is a recent high school graduate who has never enrolled as a degree-seeking student in any college or university. Applicant must submit an essay on a given prompt on given prompts related to NSA surveillance. […]

[…] Young Patriots Essay Contest Sponsor: National Center for Policy Analysis and Copart Amount: Up to $5,000 Deadline: Jan. 5, 2016 Description: Scholarship is open to any American citizen or lawful resident who is currently a student in grades 6-12, or is a recent high school graduate who has never enrolled as a degree-seeking student in any college or university. Applicant must submit an essay on a given prompt on given prompts related to NSA surveillance. […]

As in all forms of writing, you should always reference your source materials in order to avoid plagiarism. For example, by saying “According to a study by [author name]….” However, formal parenthetical citations/footnotes/etc. are not necessary. I hope that helps!

Hi,
Just wondering about citations. I plan on referencing a government document (FISA act), and I was wondering if I need to cite the document itself, or the specific sections I’m referring to. Also, are we required to use the two sources provided, or can we just use our own?
Thanks in advance.

I would handle this by writing something like “According to section [x] of the FISA act…”
In your bibliography, you should cite the document and the section.
You are required to read and consider the provided sources, but you do not have to cite them directly if you would prefer not to. Demonstrating your understanding of them, though, might be advantageous. If you do reference them, you don’t need to include them in your bibliography, since they are assumed. I hope that helps!

I typed up my essay in a different font, but when I copy paste it into the box below “essay” the font changed. Will it come out like it is in the box or how we wrote it before we copy pasted our essay?

Sunday, January 3rd, I accidentally submitted a scholarship application without the essay included. This occurred in the afternoon. I have resubmitted tonight (9:00 PM CT) with the essay attached. Please disregard the previous submission and accept the most recent this evening. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

I typed up my completed essay, but when i went to paste it into the box, the site would not allow it. And I tried several times through the day, and this did not work. Is there any way I could possibly get an extension of some kind? Or send it in through a different way?

Oh No! I read the deadline wrong and had it confused with another scholarship as Jan 7th!! I know that this is preposterous but is there any way possible that you may accept this essay late this one time! I am so dearly sorry, I wrote it over the break and had to wait until school started up again to converse with my teachers. Please I beg of you, this is my final year of high school.. Please do not let this deter me!